Covered on CoT; person feels way too white

I'm white and live in Oak Park, Ill., a surprisingly multicultural, upper-middle-class suburb of Chicago. The street I crossed separates my town from the city neighborhood of Austin, an almost entirely black part of Chicago"

For me, as I have mentioned before; feel that way around the real Mexican places or the Indian restaurants. Sometimes you get that "Why they hell are you here look?" but after interacting, it kind of goes away.

Bot Berlin
July 15th, 2007 12:13pm

One thing that is interesting with this whole race stuff. I have read a lot of these. "I made a black friend today, stories".

Do we ever get a black person say he feels too black. Hmm.

Dont think the hispanics, asians care too much about the whole race debate.

Bot Berlin
July 15th, 2007 12:16pm

Typical of Chicago. There is rampant segregation here.

It is palpable, real. You can FEEL it when you cross the street bounding one neighborhood from another.

I am much less visible because of my skin tone--I fit into more neighborhoods. Cultures embrace me many times because I am not afraid of being perceived as ignorant or racist, and because I'm not white. I can ask the questions that author cannot ask. I'm sure I am just as annoying. But like my jog in the park yesterday--the Pakistanis/Hindus/Indians don't move out of my way the way they do the white people. They feel closer to me, not alarmed. The Mexicans don't really move either. The whites, however, get the "parting of the sea" treatment.

We really are separate from each other. Each group at the park stayed in its own group playing volleyball, barbecuing, etc.

But let's be honest here: white people aren't hated because they are white. They are hated because they are in power. Anyone with a middle- upper- middle class job, 95% of the time, has a white boss.

We all treat our bosses as the enemy. So we treat their families and friends, who are possibly our neighbors, the same way.

Until white folks put brown folks on the board of directors and in C-level positions where salaries, lay-offs, and responsibilities are set, then yeah.

White people will be looked at as "other" and DANGEROUS. Just not gang-land dangerous---more like "this asshole can take the food out of my child's mouth" dangerous.

Heh. Whenever I see white people moseying around in a neighborhood, the FIRST thing I think is "awww shit they are gonna gut rehab another apartment building and turn it condo so nobody under a certain income can live here anymore."

I have no doubt that anyone over 30 and non-white thinks the same way. How do I know? Because that's the first thing the campaigners in the aldermen race talk about when they shake y our hand and give you a flyer and ask for your vote "I'll keep the wealthy from taking over your 'hood please vote for me!"

"Black folks tend to work for the man. Asians and Latinos have language barriers that force them to work for their own a lot of the time. "

I agree with everything you have said and generally agree with our outlook on the world in America.

But, me being, I dont know a little crazy. Why can't people just being human beings and forget all notions of race and color. The black cat doesn't mind socializing with the peppered color cat. I generally am nice to all people I meet even though they may not like me. (I may internally may hate their guts but will still be nice). What is the worse that can happen?

Imagine, how does the Dalai Lama live his life. Is he nice and forgiving to all creatures or only those with brown skins.

Bot Berlin
July 15th, 2007 4:42pm

You are a black cat. The pepper colored cats control the food supply. You get no mice unless you kiss the ass of the pepper colored cats.